Football: Team struggles, loses key players in season opener

Senior running back Troy Doles changed out of his shoulder pads early after spraining his shoulder in the first quarter.

The Falcon football team opened its season under the lights at Benny Pierce Field on Sept. 2 with a 10-0 loss to Burlingame. As painful as the loss was, even more damaging were the injuries sustained during the game.

Senior running back Troy Doles sprained his shoulder on the first offensive drive of the game, junior linebacker Henry Wei sprained his MCL, a major ligament in his knee, and senior offensive guard Sean Walsh sprained his neck. Doles was able to return for the team’s game against versus Gilroy. However, the cannot be said for Wei and Walsh, who both expect to miss at least two to three weeks.

“We had injuries to three key players without a doubt. It hurts us on both sides of the ball. However, in no way shape or form puts us out of the game against Gilroy. We will beat Gilroy if we play our game without them,” sophomore center Clark Rothenberg said.

Besides the injuries suggested, the game did not go well for the Falcons.

After a scoreless first quarter, Burlingame took a three-point lead with a second quarter field goal and did not look back, shutting out the Falcons for the entire game. Burlingame added another seven points in the third quarter on an 18-yard touchdown run and extra point. In such a low scoring game, senior linebacker Brandon Oliveri O’Connor believes that his team was simply outplayed by Burlingame.

“We were out-hustled on both sides of the ball,” Oliveri O’Connor said. “They wanted [to win] more than us and they made sure they got it.”

Even though the Falcons held a respectable Burlingame offense to just 10 points, the Falcon offense struggled, totaling 152 yards for the game and just 67 yards in the second half. Senior quarterback Mitchell Casas passed for 90 yards and junior Bryson Yates led the rushing attack with 31 rushing yards.

Though the first game did not go as well as they would have hoped, the Falcons think of it as a learning experience.

“We learned that we really need to work harder during games and practice,” Oliveri O’ Connor said.